Pregnancy, Identity, & Occupational Transition

Guest: Sarah Putt, MA, OTR/L

Host of the OT 4 Lyfe Podcast Subscribe Website: https://ot4lyfe.com/Instagram: @ot.4.lyfe Twitter: @ot4lyfe Email: [email protected] 36 weeks pregnant at the time of recording Listen to Sarah’s take on the episode at OT 4 Lyfe PodcastAlso, check out episode 99 to hear Sarah’s pregnancy announcement and so much more in episode 100:Episode 99: Reflections from the OT Community Episode 100: The Good, The Bad, and Like, Umm Ya Know The Ugly

Topics we Uncorked:

Pregnancy updatesSarah was 36 weeks at time of recording and is now mom of one month old Baby A!I was 17 weeks pregnant at the time of recording and am now 24 weeks pregnant!Occupational transitions of pregnancyIdentity The moments that remind us of our new identity as “mom”Telling our husbands they were dadsSarah shares about her identities as both an OT who specializes in early intervention and a new momI share about my experience with having health conditions that are highly associated with infertility and the relief of finding out we had conceivedChanging expectations of ourselves Asking for helpChanges to our occupationsHow our identities and patterns of participation (high achieving, active, always doing something new and challenging, etc.) and symptoms (being exhausted, pregnancy brain fog) collideAdapting our ADLs (dressing, donning shoes, changing diet)Difficulty focusing and multitasking at work Podcast interviewing and the difficulties of pregnancy brain (hello word finding difficulties)Changing workouts and activity patternsProjects that we wanted to do together with our spousesOur home renovation “DIY”Sarah and Ray’s furniture refurbishing Grocery shopping is exhaustingCarrying bagsWalking around the storePregnancy symptoms and how we’re copingSymptoms people talk about Symptoms people DON’T talk aboutThe first trimester symptoms and experiencing them without others knowing we’re pregnantSecond trimester “surge” of energyThird trimester (aka the return of the first trimester)Pregnancy brainI always thought this was a secondary effect of being tired, but pregnancy brain is REALUsing our OT brains to help us adaptFinding the right health team Seeking help and validation when we’re concerned Not sure if you should call your OB to ask a question? Sarah and I had that question, too. Calling or messaging our practitioners gave us peace of mind and empowered us!Being pregnant during a pandemicProsWearing yoga pants to work! (aka my living room...)Our spouses are home with us, too, and can be part of the daily ups and downs of being pregnantEasier to keep pregnancy to yourself when you’re socializing and working over ZoomStrangers don’t randomly approach to touch your bellyConsGoing to appointments aloneInability to celebrate and share this life milestone with people in the ways we had hopedAdditional fears of how to best protect ourselves and our babies during a pandemicSocial isolation layered with being pregnant and wanting social connectionLessons learned from being pregnant that will make us better therapistsOur favorite pregnancy “hacks”

Wine we Uncorked:

None! These two pregnant ladies enjoyed their favorite flavor of water (plain 'ol tap water)In episodes 27 through 30 of OT Uncorked, which were recorded since I became pregnant, I “reviewed” wines instead of drinking wine during the episode… did you notice the subtle shift in my wording? I felt clever! Now that the secret’s out, I want my listeners to know that those reviews were based on notes I took about wines pre-pregnancy. In some cases, I let my guest review a wine they were enjoying (check out Lindsey Vestal’s AMAZING wine review in Episode 30!)  

Resource Recommendations:

Check out our favorite pregnancy resources:

PodcastsWhat About the Mama?Hosted by Karena Skibinski, an OT who was featured on Episode 22 of OT Uncorked Best of Both Worlds Not pregnancy-specific but it’s all about making work and family life fit togetherThe Unstressed MamaCo-hosted by a PT, fitness expert and military officer, and financial expert Instagram accounts@thepassionatephysio@pregnant.postpartum.athleteYouTubeGlowBodyPTPregnancy workoutsKids OT HelpPediatric development and pregnancy from an OT perspectiveApps/ WebsiteWhat To Expect Week by week development, advice, and symptom trackersOvia They have both pregnancy and parenting apps Peloton prenatal classesIn the episode, I said I wasn’t working out much, but I have since started using our Peloton bike and am also loving the Peloton prenatal yoga and strength training  BookMama Natural by Genevieve Howland

More from OT Uncorked: 

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